Paper cutting and trimming machine and clamping mechanism therefor



Jan. 14, 1930. E, BRACKETT ET AL 1,743,420

PAPER CUTTING AND TRIMMING' MACHINE AND CLAMPING MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed Sept. 16, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 14, 1930.

E. BRACKETT ET AL PAPER CUTTING AND TRIMMING MACHINE *AND CLAMPING MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed Sept. 16, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet Jan. 14, 1930. T- ET AL 1,743,420

PAPER CUTTING AND TRIMMING MACHINE AND CLAMPING MECHANISM THEREFOR Patented Jan. 14, 1930 UNiTE EDWARD BRACKETT AND DIETEICH DANEKE, OF TOIPEKA, KANSAS PAPER CUTTING AND TRI'MMING MACHINE AND CLAMPING MECHANISM THEREFOR Application filed September 16, 1927.

This invention relates to paper-cutting and trimming machines having a frame provided with a feed-table, a knife movable upward and downward in the frame, and clamping mechanism operatively connected with the .knife or knife-operating means, and adapted to be moved into and securely held in releasable clamping engagement with the paper or material to be operated upon by the knife.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, economical and efficient paper-cutting and trimming machine having an improved clampingmechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide a paper-cutting and trimming machine ment of parts herein described and claimed.

' In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a paper-cutting and trimming machine constructed in accordancerwith our invention,

showing a front view in elevation of the improved clamping mechanism and the means for operatively connecting the same with the upwardly and downwardly movable knife 40 and knife-operating mechanism; the feed table being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a view in rear elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1, with parts omitted, and showing the clamping mechanism. and

particularly that part of the clamping mechanism which is located back of the knife;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view in hor1 zontal section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking downward and showing the clutch mechanism and upwardly and downwardly Serial N0. 219,998.

movable rotative clamp-supporting shaft, for supporting and operating, locking and releasing the clamping mechanism; 7

Fig. 4: is an enlarged view in vertical section taken on. irregular line44 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and showing the knife and knife-bar and upwardly and downwardly movable paper-engaging clamping member in front of the knife, in vertical section, and also showing the clamp-operating or locking and re leasing mechanism, and the means for operatively connecting the clamping mechanism with the knife and knife-operating mecha nism; v

Fig. 5 is a detail view in vertical section taken on line 55 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and showing the knife, knife-bar, and paper-engaging clamp member in section, and the means for connecting the upwardly and downwardly movable clamping mechanism located forward and rearward of the knife, with the upwardly and downwardly movable clamps, pporting shaft which is located above the knife and paper-engaging clamping member, which shaft is provided with rack and pinion mech anism adapted to co-act with said shaft and the automatic ratchet mechanism or clutching and releasing mechanism and knife and knifeoperating mechanism for operating and locking and releasing the clamping mechanism.

In constructing an improved paper-cutting and trimming machine in accordance with this invention, a main frame 1 is provided having a pair of upright knlfe-supporting and clamp-supporting side frame members 2.

2 which project upward on opposite sides of a feed table or bed 3. Each upright side frame member 2- is provided with a vertical slotor opening 4: adapted to admit and permit the upward and downward movement of the knife-supporting bar 5 and knife 6 within said upright slots or openings, and between the parallel upright side margins of the same. The knife-bar 5 is thus slidably supported in operative position and adapted to move upward and downward between and in sliding engagement with the side margins of the slots 4, or ways thus formed by said upright side the knife in suitable bearings in lower side frame members 8; The said crank-shaft has rigid crank arms 24 on its opposite ends; and

each of said crank-arms is operatively connected with the corresponding end of the knife-bar 5, by connectingn'ods or pitmen and upwardly and downwardly movable sliding shoes or frame members hereinafter more particularly described.

The crank shaft 7 is operatively connected withan electric motor 110 or suitable source of power, by suitable shaft and gear mechanism and pedal-operated or lever-operated .clutch mechanism adapted to enable the crank-shaft 7 and the knife-bar and knife operated thereby, to be connected with and disconnected from the motor or source of power, so as to cause the knifeand said knifeoperated crank-shaft and connecting knifeoperating mechanism to be operated as desired. For example, a spur gear wheel 9 is fixed to the crank shaft 7 And a toothed gear wheel 11, loose on a motor-driven shaft 10 rotatively mounted in suitable bearings in the machine frame, is in toothed engagement with said gear wheel 9. The shaft 10 is connected with the motor or source of power by suitable gear and clutch mechanism which,

by preference,includes a spur-gear wheel 12 rigidly mounted on the shaft 10 and in toothed engagement with a'spur gear wheel 13' on or connected with and adapted to be driven by the motor shaft. And a clutch 14 which may be of any ordinary or suitable form, is

, keyed to and movable longitudinally of the shaft 10 and operatively connected with and adapted to connect the gear wheel 11. with and disconnect the same'from the shaft '10. The clutch 14 is connected with and adapted tobe operated by the usual pedal mechanism (not shown) which may be of any ordinary and well known or suitable form.

The knife-bar 5 is connected with the crank shaft 7 and power-driven knife-operating mechanism, by preference, as follows:

Said knife bar is provided with horizontal end' slots 15 in its opposite ends. And ateach endof the knife bar is mounted an upwardly and downwardly movable knife-supporting and operating sliding frame member or shoe 16. 7 Each shoe 16 has a vertical opening or slot, therethrough between upright side flanges or webs 17. And the knife-bar and knife extend through these vertical slots in said shoes '16 and are movable upward and downward with and by means of said sliding shoes 16 respectively.

frames or shoes. And the knife-bar and knife are movable endwise transversely of the frame and in the vertical slots in said st 16, so that the krifo caused to have a shearing movement as it is lowered and moved endwise in one direction and then raised and moved endwise in an opposite direction in the operation of cutting the paper or material to be cut or trimmed.

Each of the knife-supporting vertically movable sliding frame memberszor shoes 16 is slidably mounted in vertical guideways; and each of said shoes has vertical guiding side-flanges 18 on opposite sides thereof. The flanges 18 project laterally beyond the adjacent upright flanges or webs 17 of each shoe. And each flange 18 is held slidably in operative poistion by means of an upright guiding strip 19 fixed to the corresponding upright side frame member 2 on each side of said movable knife-supporting frame members or (See Fig. 2.)

. Each of the upwardly and downwardly j acenthorizontally slotted end portion of the knife-bar 5 by means of a horizontal transverse pin 20 whichextends through the corresponding horizontal slot 15 in the knifebar and has its opposite endsanchored in the upright web portion 17 of the adjacent knifesupporting shoe. And each pin 20 is provided with an anti-friction roller 21 thereon which engages the margins of. the horizontal slot 15 through which such pin extends.

Each upwardly and downwardly movable knife-supporting frame member or shoe 16 is operatively connected with the crank shaft 7 by means of an upright connecting rod 22, the upper end of which is pivotally connected with the lower extremity of the correspondlng shoe 16 by means of a pin 23, and the lower end of which is .operatively connected with the crank shaft 7 bymeans. of a crank 21 fixed to said shaft and having a wrist pin or crank pin 25 fixed to said crank and extending through a suitable opening in the lower end of said connecting rod. 7 Side shields 26 are fixed to the upright frame members 2 and adapted to enclose and shield the knife-supporting shoes16 andother moving parts, as shown in Fig. 2, said shields being partly broken away for the purpose of' illustrating the construction and armamment of the other parts above described.

A paper-engaging clamping member or plate 27 is mounted in front of and in parallel relation to the knife-supporting bar and knife and 1s provided with upright projectlng marginal portions or guiding flanges 28 at its opposite ends, which are slidably is operatively connected with the knife-bar 5 by means of a horizontal stub-shaft 30' which is anchored in and in fixed relation to the knife-bar, and the forward end of which projects forward from the knife-bar and through an inclined slot 31 in the clampingmember 27. is mounted on the forward end of the stubshaft 30 with its periphery in engagement with the parallel walls of the inclined slot 31. And a marginal bearing plate 33 is fixed to the inner side of the paper-engaging clamping member 27 and serves to provide suitable bearing surfaces for engaging the anti-friction roller 32. The upper extremity of the inclined slot 31 is, by preference,

curved upward relatively to the parallel inclined marginal walls 34 and 35of. said slot. And it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. that the upward movement of the knife-bar will carry upward with it the clamping member 27 when the roller 32 on the stud or stub-shaft 30 is in engagement with the upper extremity of the inclined slot 31 in said clamping member. and that said connection between the knife-bar and said clamping member, thus furnished by the stud or stub-shaft and said inclined slot will permit the clamping member 27 to move downward with the knife-bar and knife until the clamping member engages the top of the paper or material to be operated upon and clamped or held in place beneath the knife, but that, as soon as the downward movement of the clamping member 27 is stopped by the paper ormaterial to be operated upon and held: in position by the clamp, the further downward movement of the knife with the stub-shaft 30 in the inclined slot, will cause the knife to move downward at an incline corresponding to the in clination of the slot, so as to givethe knife a shearing movement while in cutting en'- gagement with the paper or material to-be operated upon. It follows, of course, that the upward movement of the knife-bar andthe stub-shaft 30 will correspond withthe move ment of the stub-shaft 30 and anti-friction roller 32 upward in and longitudinally of the inclined slot to initial normal or raised position.

Suitable shock absorbing mechanism" is provided for minimizing the shocks which would otherwise occur when the stub-shaf-t 30 reaches the limit of its-upward movement in the inclined slot, and, by preference, consists of or comprises a tripping and. shockabsorbing lever member 36 pivot-ally mounted on thepaper-engaging clamping member 27 by means of a pivot pin 37, and having a lower lever-arm 38 provided with an ant-ifriction roller 39 and adapted to normally engage the anti-friction roller 32 on the stubshaft 30, said member 36 having an upper lever arm 40 provided, with an anti-friction An anti-friction roller 32 roller 41 whichis normally located above or beyond the upper extremity of the path of movement of the stub-shaft 30and roller 32:

"otally supported upon a'pivot 43, and held:

in place by a spring-pressed cover plate 44, which is provided with a projecting radial arm 45:1nounted in recess 46 in the clamping member 27 and adapted to prevent the rotation of said covering plate.

The cover-plate 44 is connected and held in, frictional engagement with the shocka-bsorbing member 42 by a spring 44 which surrounds the stub shaft or pivot 43 between said member 42 and a nut 45" onthe threaded endof said stub shaft or pivot 43'. The tension of: the spring thus tends to yieldinglyresist the rotation of the shock-absorbing or cushioning member 4221s the latter is engaged by the stub-shaft or pivot 43 and anti-friction roller 32 when the knife-bar and knife reach the upper limit of the movement to raised position. And a shock-absorber comprising. a strip or'pad of fiber or rubber or other suitable cushioning material 46 is attached to the top margin of the clamping member 27 by bolts or other suitable securing means, and adapted to engage the top'of the knife bar when it reachesthe limit of'its upward movement with respect to the clamping member 27, for minimizing or reducing shocks.

An upwardly and downwardly movable rotative clamp-supporting shaft 47 extends through suitable openings or' bearings in upper bearing brackets or arms-48 which are fixed to and project upward from the upper edge of the clamp: 27, and is provided at its opposite ends with: pinions 49 which are in toothed: engagement with stationary toothed racks-50 fixedito theinner margins-ofthesta tionary upright frame members 2, already described. This rotative shaft is thus adapted to move upwardly and downwardly with the clamp 27. The rack and pinion mechanism is thus. adapted to cause the shaft torotate in one direction-during the downward move ment of the shaft and the clamping mecha nism supported thereby, and to rotate-in an opposite direction duringthe upward movement of the same. It will thus be readily understood that, by locking theshaft against rotation when the" clamp and shaft have reached the limit oftheir initial downward movement, with the clamp in clamping engagement with the paper, the clamp is releasably secured or locked against upward movementwhile: in such lower paper-engagmg clamping position, but is-left free to move downward progressively from one looked clamping position to anothersuccessively as the-paper is compressed or yields beneath the paper-engaging; clamping member, but the clamping member is locked against upward movement in every sta ge'tor point of its downe ward movement after coming into clamping engagement and during such clamping engagement with the paper and themovement of the knife in cutting engagement with the paper or material to bev operated upon. By

A fixed clutch member or ratchet member 51 is mounted upon and in fixed relation to the clamp-supporting shaft 47, and is, by preference, in the form of an annular clamping member or sleeve having a hub 52 fixed to the shaft 47 and having an annular peripheral flange 53, the inner peripheral wall 54 of which forms a circular track or race for a series of rollers 55, which are mounted in and adapted to, travel circumferentially of and within the peripherally flanged portion or race thus formed.

7 An inner movable or rocking clutch member orcam 56 is loosely mounted on the shaft and has an inner annular main body portion which extends within the recess formed by V the flange 53 of the fixed clutch member 51,

andbetween the rollers55 and the shaft, said inner movable clutch member or cam'member 56 being provided with cam faces 57,

which are adapted to engage and release the rollers 55.

There is, a cam face 57.for each roller 55, and each of said cam faces on the periphery of the inner clutch member-56 merges into a recess or depressed cam surface portion 58,

which is of suflicient depth to release the corresponding roller when thedeepes t recessed portion isopposite or in position to receive the roller. An intermediate annular member or cage 59 loosely encircles the inner cam member 56 and is provided with a series of segmental spacingoieces orsections 60 which are, by preference, integral with the annular outermain body portion of said cage'member 59 and spaced apart so as to receive and permit the rotation of the rollers 55 between the adjacent spaced apart margins of said sections or spacing pieces. The annular cage member 59 is provided with a peripheral shoulder 61 which projects outward peripherally from the main body of the annular cage member and is adapted to engage a projecting stop 62 on the upper margin of the paper-engaging clamping member or clamping plate so as to form a pair of forked lever arms 64, the outer ends of which are provided with depending links 65 pivotally connected at their upper ends with the ends ofsaid lever arms by means of pins 66, and adapted to be operatively connected with the stub-shaft .30 on the knife-bar by suitable connecting means 1 V which will be hereafter scribed. V g 7 The operating and releasing lever 63 is opcre tively connected with the intermediate annular or cage member '59 by suitable connecting means: For example, therlever member 63 is provided with a spring-engaging boss 67 thereon which projects toward the intermediate annular cage member 59, and said annular roller-engaging cage member 59 has an integral boss 68 thereon which projects toward the annular shaft-encircling portion of the lever member 63, said bosses being spaced apart, as best shown in Fig. 3; and a compression spring 69 is interposed between said bosses. One end of said spring is in abutting engagement with theboss 67, and the other end is in abutting engagement with the boss 68. The spring thus tends tO'ITlOVB the lever 63 and the annular roller-engaging cage member 59 in opposite directions with respect to each other circumferentially of the shaft d7 which forms the axis for said members 63 and 59 thus yieldingly connected. The intermediate cage member 59 is in frictional enmore particularly degagement with the inner cam member 56, and

said inner cam 56 is provided with relatively enlarged annular peripheral portion 70 and is rigidly attached to the lever member 63. Or said members 56 and 63 may be formed in one integral"piece". The bosses 67 and 68 and spring 69 are located outside of the periphery of said annular portion 79 of.

the inner cam member 56. and 4.)

From the foregoing description it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, that the shaft 47 is always free to rotate in one direction during the downward movement of said shaft and the paper-engaging clamping member 27, and is held against rotating in an opposite direction during such downward movement and at every stage of the progressive downward movement of the clamping member and said shaft.

It will also be readily seen that with each downward movement or operation of the knife, with the paper-engaging clamp 27, the

(See Figs. 2, 3

latter will be stoppedby the material or paper with which it comes in contact, and that a continuation of the downward movement of the knife-bar and knife,the knife-bar being operatively connected with the lever arms 64 of the ratchet lever 63,-will tend to move said lever arms downward and to cause the rotation of the lever member 63 upon its axis, and with respect to the outer clutch member 53, or in such a manner as to cause the clutch or ratchet to engage and to lock or hold the shaft 47 and the paper-engaging clamp 27 against upward movement but leave the same free to move downward from one locked clamping position to another progressively as the clamped paper or material is compressed beneath the clamp. It will also be readily seen that the upward movement of the lever arms 64 of the releasing lever 63, when such upward movement is caused by the raising of the knife-bar 5, will release the clutch or ratchet mechanism and the shaft 47, and permit the latter to rotate and move upward with the paper-engaging clamp to initial position, with all of the parts in position for the beginning of another operation, and so on for any desired number of successive operations.

In order to provide suitable means for operatively connecting the lever arms 64 of the ratchet or clutch-operating and releasing lever'member 63 with the stub-shaft 30 and knife-bar 5, in which said stub-shaft is mounted, as already described, we provide a clutch or ratchet operating and releasing lever 71 which is pivotally mounted upon or connected with the upwardly and downwardly movable paper-engaging clamp 27, but by preference on the opposite side of the knifebar from said paper-engaging clamp, by means of a bracket member 72 fixed to the bracket member 48 at or near one end of the paper-engaging clamping member 27. The bracket thus formed by the connected brack-. et members 48 and 72, which are fixed to the paper-engaging clamp 27, extends over the top of or straddles the knife-bar 5, as best shown in Fig. 5, so as to support the clutch or ratchet-operating lever 71 back of the knife bar and upon and in pivotal relation to the lower extremity of said bracket member 7 2 to which the lever 71 is pivotally attached by means of a pivot pin 73. (See Figs. 2, 4 and 5.)

The pivoted clutch-operating and releasing member 71 is, by preference, in the form of a forked lever having an upper. forked arm 74 and a lower forked arm 75, which are spaced apart and adapted-to admit therebetween and to operatively engage an anti-friction roller 7 6 on the rear extremity of the stub-shaft 30, which is anchored in the knifebar, as already described. The upper forked arm 74 of the forked lever 71 is operatively connected with the forked lever arm 64 of the ratchet or clutch-operating and releasing lever 63, already described, by preference, as follows: An upright connecting rod 77 is pivotally connected at its lower extremity with the outer swinging end of said upper lever arm 74 by means of a pivot pin 78, and a cross-head 79 is pivotally connected with the lower ends of the depending links 65, already described, by means of projecting bosses or end portions 80 on opposite margins of said cross-head, and, by preference, integral with the cross-head, and adapted to extend into suitable openings in the lower extremities of said links 65. The cross-head 79 is provided with a central opening through ing connection between the forked lever 71 5 located back of the knife-bar and the forked lever arms 64 of the clutch or ratchet lever member 63 on the upwardly and downwardly movable shaft 47, which is located forward of the knife-bar and supports the paper-engaging clamp 27 as already described. The upper lever arm 74 of the clutch or ratchetoperating lever 71 back of the knife, and the lever arms 64 of the clutch or ratchet mechanism located above and forward of the knife are thus adapted to move upward and downward together and are permitted to have a limited movement relatively to each other, thus providing sufficient lost motion between said connected levers to permit the paper-engaging clamp 27 to move downward, after coming in contact withthe paper, a suflicient distance to compress and tightly hold or clamp the paper in position'to be operated upon by the knife, and toprevent the connected parts from being subjected to undue shocks or stresses and strains. The lower forked arm 75 has an upperrollenengaging surface 84, which extends from a roller-engaging shoulder 85 to the lower end of said lever arm, and like the upper face '35 of the inclined lower margin of the inclined slot 31 in the paper-engaging clamping member 27 is straight. The downward movement of the knifebar 5 and stub-shaft 30 with the anti-friction roller 76 from the position in which said parts are shown in Figs. 2 and 4 in full lines, or raisedposition, to the lowered position in which the stub-shaft 30 and antifriction roller 76 are shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, will cause the roller 76 to en gage the shoulder 85 on the lower forked arm 75 of the forked lever 71 located back of the knife and move said arm 75 downward to the position in which it is shown in broken lines in said Fig. 2, in'which lowered position the straight top roller-engaging face 84 of said I lower forked arm 75 will be in the same plane with the inner bottom margin 35 of the inclined slot 31 in the paper-engaging clamp 27 on the front side of the knife-bar. This downwardmovement of the forked lever 71 will cause a corresponding downward movement of the upper lever arm 74 of said lever 71,.and of the spring-pressed connecting rod and link mechanism which connects said lever arm 74with the forked arms Gal of the ratchet or clutch-operating and releasing lever 63, already described.

From the foregoing description it will be readily understood that the downward pivotal movement of the forked clutch-actuating or locking lever 71 to its lowered clamplocking position relatively .to the clamping member 27, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, is accomplished and completed by and during the downward movement of the stubshaft 30 and its anti-friction roller in engagement with the shoulder 85 on the lower arm 75 of said lever and while the clamp is in clamping engagement with the paper or material. The clutch-controlled shaft 47 and clamping member 27 are thus locked against upward movement but are free to move downward from one clamping position to another progressively and consecutivelyas the paper or material is compressed beneath the said clamping member during the movement of the knife in cutting engagement with the paper. The straight upper face 84 of the lower forked arm 75 of said forked lever 71 being flush with the lower inclined marginal wall 35 of the inclined slot 31 when shoulder Y 85. is thus depressedbythe stub-shaft 30 and its anti-friction roller, it follows that no further downward pivotal movement of the lever 71 will result'from the continued downward movement of saidstub shaft.

It should also be noted that the upper marginal inclinedwall of the inclined slot 31 engages the roller on the stub-shaft 30 during the movement of the latter in said slot and between the straight upper margin of lever arm '75 and said upper marginal wall 34 of said slot. The forked lever 41 and the clutch. mechanism on the clutch-controlled shaft 47 and the paper-engaging clamping member 27 are thus held locked against upward movement independently of any downward movement or force applied to the knife or to the clamp by the knife-operating. means. It follows thatonly the power necessary for'the actual cutting ofthe paper is required during the operation ofthe knife in cutting engagement with the paper or material. The power required is thus minimized. a

We claim: 7 i Y 1. In a paper-cutting machine having a movable knife, knife-operating means and a feed-table, the combination of a slotted movable paper-engaging clamping member mounted adjacent to and in movable relation to the knife, a pivoted lever having forked clutch member fixed to said rotative sha t, a

movable clutch member supported on said shaft and in movable relation to said fixed clutch member, intermediate means for form:

ing a releasable relatively fixed connection between said members, a lever arm on said movable clutch member,fortightening and releasing the clutch-connection between the clutch members, resilient connecting means connected with and forming a yielding connection between said clutch lever and said first-mentioned pivoted lever, means connected and movable with the knife and adapted to engage and operate said first-v mentioned pivoted lever, and means connected and movable with the knife and extending into the slotted portion of said paperengaging clamping member, for operating the same. v

2. In a paper-cutting machine having a movable knife, knife-operating means and a feed-table, the combination of a slotted movable paper-engaging clamping member mounted adjacent to and in movable relation to the knife, a pivoted lever supported by said paper-engaging clamping member and having upper and lower forked arms, locking means comprising a rotative shaft supported on said paper-engaging clamping member, rack and pinion mechanism for holdingsaid shaft in any locking position into which it is moved relatively to the stationary machine frame, a friction clutch on said rotative shaft V and comprising a clutch lever fortightening and releasing the clutch, means for connecting'said clutch lever with the upper arm of said forked lever, and a stub-shaft connected engage and operate the lower forked arm of said forked lever, one end of said stub shaft being adapted to extend into and in operative engagement with the slotted portion of said paper-engaging clamping member, for operating the same.

3. In a paper-cutting machine having a. movable knife. knife-operating'vmeans and p a feed table, the combination of a movable paper-engaging clamping bar provided with an inclined slot therein, vertical guide ways and movable with the knife and adapted to 7 V7 in which said clamping bar is slidably mountclamping bar, rack and pinion mechanism, for holding said shaft in any locking position into which it is moved relatively to said guide ways, a friction clutch on said rotative shaft, for stopping and permitting the rotation of the shaft as required, said clutch having a clutch lever arm thereon, for tightening and releasing the clutch, resilient connecting means connected with and forming a yielding connection between said clutch le ver and the upper armof said pivoted forked lever, and a stub-shaft connected and movable with the knife and extending into said inclined slot in said clamping bar and between and in operative engagement with said forked arms of said pivoted forked lever, for operating the forked lever and said clamping bar.

4. In a paper-cutting machine having a movable knife, knife-operating means and a feed-table, the combination of a movable paper-engaging clamping bar having an inclined slot therein, vertical guide ways in which said clamping bar is slidably mounted adjacent to and in movable relation to the knife, a pivoted lever supported by said clamping bar and having upper and lower forked arms, the lower one of said forked arms having a straight upper marginal surface adapted to be moved into and out of the same plane in which the lower margin of said inclined slot is located, locking means comprising a rotative horizontal shaft supported on and movable upward and downward with said clamping bar, rack and pinion mechanism for holding said shaft in any locking position into which it is moved relatvely to said guide ways, a clutch on said rotative shaft, for locking and releasing the shaft, to stop and permit its rotation as required, said clutch having a clutch lever arm thereon, for tightening and releasing the clutch, an up right connecting rod connected with the upper arm of said pivoted forked lever, resilient means forming a yielding connection between said upright connecting rod and said clutch lever, and a stub shaft connected and movable with the knife and extending into said inclined slot in said clamping bar and between and in operative engagement with the lower one of said forked arms of said pivoted forked lever, for operating the lever and locking mechanism and said clamping bar.

5. In a paper-cutting machine having a movable knife, knife-operating means and a feed table, the combination of a movable paper-engaging clamping bar having an inclined slot therein, vertical guide-ways between and in sliding engagement with which the opposite end margins of said clamping bar are mounted adjacent to and in movable relation to the knife, a pivoted lever supported by said clamping bar and having upper and loweriforked arms, the lower one of said forked arms having an upper shoulder and a straight upper marginal surface extending from said shoulder to the end of said forked arm and adapted to be moved into and out of the same inclined plane with the lower margin of said inclined slot in the clamping bar, locking means comprising a rotative horizontal shaft supported on and movable upward and downward with said clamping bar, rack and pinion mechanism, for holding said shaft in any locking position into which it is moved relatively to said guide ways, a clutch on said rotative shaft, for stopping and permitting the rotation of the same as required, said clutch having a clutch lever arm thereon, for tightening and releasing the clutch, an upright connecting rod connected with the upper arm of said pivoted forked lever, depending links connected with said clutch lever arm, a cross-piece connecting the lower ends of said links, a spring resting on said cross-piece and connected with the upper end of said upright connecting rod and forming a yielding connection between said connecting rod and said links and clutch lever, and a stub shaft connected and movable with the knife and extending into and between the parallel walls of said inclined slot in said clamping bar and in operative engagement with the upper margin of the lower arm of said pivoted forked lever, for operating said lever and the locking mechanism connected therewith, to lock and release said clamping bar.

In witness whereof we have hereto attached our signatures this 3rd day of September,

1927. V EDWARD BRACKETT. DIETRICH DANEKE'. 

